THE FORCES – Voyages (2023, LP Fuel Box Music)

RELEASE INFO:

Label: Fuel Box Music

Format: LP, Album, Limited Edition, 180gram, Black Vinyl, 100 copies

Release Date: 6 Oct 2023

The Forces is not actually a band. The Forces is the personal vehicle of Dutch producer Joshua Boon. Their full album “Voyages” has been composed, written, and produced by Joshua and features the vocals of Manchester singer Tim Condor, along with more than 20 international musicians. The album also has a contribution of rapper Cavalier, a frequent collaborator with Quelle Chris, and a featured artist on Stones Throw’s Quakers II album (2021) and BackwoodzStudioz’ High Bias (2023).

A few words, taken from their Bandcamp page:

“The Forces have been receiving critical acclaim for their unique fusion of Beatlesque psychedelia with hip-hop-inspired beats. Their self-titled debut EP (2022) was three times featured as ‘New and Notable’ on the Bandcamp.com homepage, and their music was praised as a ‘cohesive and wildly original body of work’ by Plasticmag.co.uk.
The psychedelic pop sounds of the 1960s and the raw edge of hip-hop may seem disparate, but both genres blend various musical styles. Both experiment with unique sound effects, such as the use of reverb, tape loops, echo, and sampling. Additionally, both psychedelic music and hip-hop have a tradition of addressing political and social issues through their lyrics and themes.
With an outlook of a crate-digger, Joshua Boon’s appreciation of British music from the 1960s reflects a love for the ghostly sounds of vintage tracks, including vinyl noise and tape hiss, emulating the sonic experimentation of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Voyages takes listeners on a trip down memory lane with mind-bending sound effects, golden melodies, prehistoric synths, unconventional musical structures, and dusty English soundbites”…

“Voyages” consists of 17 short (and shorter tracks) that are blended/mixed with short skits. And I have to admit that at least to my ears “Voyages” sounds like a concept album, like the ones from the late 60s and early 70s. The music here, in general, is Pop, becoming Popsike (“Be Gone”), other times the music flirts with the experimental side of Pop-Psych, like the George-Martin-would-have-love-to-put-his-fingers-on “Birdie”. There are tracks that are literally acting like outtakes from the Beatles’ “Let It Be Naked” like the tracks “Shine”, “Free”, and “Overcome”. Of course, there are tracks that blend Beatlesque Popsike with Hip Hop like the Broadway flirting “Bombs”. “Anne” is one of my personal highlights here, a track that takes us back to the glorious mid-60s sunny Beatles’ days, a song that could have been included on the Yellow Submarine soundtrack, yes, that good! So, “Voyages”, is actually a pleasant voyage, an exciting journey, a Trip back to the sunny 60s side of those Liverpoolians, an album that will make you feel nostalgia for the Past but simultaneously nostalgia for the future, too! TimeLord Michalis

Tracklist